Flying Free
by Cettia cetti
Summary: An unexpected accident happened when Harry was practicing animagus transformation. How could Harry seek help?
1. Declaimer

Flying Free - by Cettia cetti  
  
Author notes: Hello everyone! "Flying Free" is a humorous story. The idea actually comes from Crab Apple Fairy's story- "Rising from the Ashes". I love birds. Their behavior is fascinating. I had a pet bird long time ago. A lot of bird tactics written in the story are based on my observation on my pet bird. I hope those who read this story would start to like these wonderful creatures, too.  
  
Declaimer: All the characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I have changed some people's personalities a bit, so that the story will be more interesting.  
  
Genre: Humor  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Main characters: Harry and Fawkes  
  
Summary: An unexpected accident happened when Harry was practicing animagus transformation. How could Harry seek help?  
  
Spoilers: All five books, just to be safe.  
  
This story is beta-read by Crab Apple Fairy. I give my special thanks to my beta-reader.  
  
Enjoy the story, and remember to REVIEW! You're welcome to share your experiences with birds. 


	2. Chapter 1

_Special thanks to my beta-reader, Crab Apple Fairy_

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 1**

Harry wrapped his invisibility cloak tighter around himself. It was freezing in the night. He had to clench his jaw so that he would not chatter- he could not risk being caught in this important time.

With the movements of a skillful cat, Harry silently made his way towards the Astronomy Tower. Once he locked the door, he pulled the cloak off his head and summoned a fist-sized light ball. It was a trick he discovered during his last summer holidays. He did not know what exactly the light sphere was, but it really helped a lot when he was in a dark and cold environment.

Harry smiled in satisfaction as warmth swept over him. He sat down and pulled out a book under his cloak. He ran a finger over the title of the book: A Useful Guide to Becoming an Illegal Animagus, by Prongs and Padfoot. He had received the book from his Godfather on his fifteenth birthday. 

Of course, Harry had informed Ron and Hermione about this and they could not wait to start practicing. Harry silently thought that they were quite talented. They had made great progress in the past few months. Becoming an animagus was not that easy.

They had spent months on practicing human transfiguration. Hermione, being her usual self, thought it was fascinating. She seemed to wave her wand almost carelessly, but Ron was still turned into a hairy man, just the way that she pictured him.

Ron was not so lucky. He tried to transfigure Hermione¡¦s arms into wings, but ended up turning them into two meaty masses without any feathers. Harry could not help but double over in a hysterical laughing fit. Trying hard to suppress his shaking, Harry managed to take a picture of a dumbfounded, badly-transfigured Hermione. The girl was furious and went crazy, so Harry spent the next fifteen minutes on running away from Hermione¡¦s wrath. 

He did not succeed, though. The still laughing Gryffindor fell onto the ground pathetically as his legs stuck together and his feet turned into fins.

After managing to transfigure themselves using wands, they started to change each other wandlessly. This time Harry felt like he was in a paradise. He had a natural gift for performing wandless magic. This drove Ron and Hermione really frustrated as it gave Harry an excuse to give them pointy ears and bushy tails.

At the beginning of the term, Hermione had taken on the great responsibility of making the Animagus Revealing Potion. Yet Harry and Ron still stayed with her. So nearly every night, both boys had to listen to Hermione complaining about how difficult it was to complete the potion, and the limitations of it. For example, once you ingested the potion, the vision of your animagus form only stayed for three seconds. Besides, the vision would be blurry and badly out of focus. The potion taker could hardly see the color of the shadow of the animal.

Harry did not dare to say a word about this. Who knew? She might dump the cauldron on him and ask him to finish the mess. Ron, however, was stupid enough to talk back to her. The red-head received nasty boils on his face afterwards, and hid behind Harry the next day.

Harry was a little disappointed that he would not turn into a stag like his father. His animagus form was a big bird, which looked a lot like a mix between a parrot and a goose. While Harry was regretting that he had taken the potion in the first place, Hermione proudly informed the boys that she had the potential to become a feline. Ron said the shadow looked like a dog in his case, but it was too large in size.

The infamous trio started practicing transformation right away. Hermione was the first one to succeed. Bit by bit she turned into a fluffy brown cat. The fur on her head was bushy, which gave Harry the impression that it would knit into knots very often.

A month later, Ron could transform, too. It turned out that he was a wolf, not a dog. His fur had a red tint and there were freckles on his snout.

It was already Christmas, and Harry had not managed to fully transform yet.

Harry scowled. He did not know why, but he surely had a difficulty in transforming. Every time he practiced, there was a strange burning feeling that always snapped him out of his concentration. He could only turn his hair into feathers and his toes into talons.

The boy opened the book and read the instructions carefully. He wanted to manage it before the next term began. Ron and Hermione had gone home during the Christmas holidays for special reasons. Ron had to attend the funeral of his great uncle; Hermione had to visit her grandmother, who had fallen ill.

Harry almost smirked as he imagined his friends¡¦ astonished faces. If he practiced harder he could turn into a bird very soon. Smiling, he glanced at the first line of the content and prepared himself.

_Relax. Close your eyes and listen to nature._

Harry felt the wind gently ruffle his hair. It was almost like the sensation of floating, flying in the air¡K A vision formed in his mind. It was a dark shadow of a bird, staring at him with beautiful green eyes.

_You¡¦ll see a shadow of your animagus form in your mind. Focus on its eyes._

Upon eye contact, the shadow took flight. Visions of lakes and forests flowed through his mind. He looked to his side and saw glowing red feathers. His heart was suddenly filled with happiness and he wanted to sing¡K

_Enjoy watching flashes of the life of your chosen animal._

There was a warm tingling sensation running through his limbs. Harry had a sudden urge to scratch himself with his imaginary claws.

_There will be a tingling sensation. The transformation has begun. Concentrate on the feeling. Do not let your mind slip._

Harry felt the animal instincts kicking in. Being a human didn¡¦t seem right anymore. It was bliss to fly freely under the sunlight and allow the wind to caress his body...

The Gryffindor hastily pushed the inhuman thoughts out of his mind. Oh, there was the distracting burning sensation in his chest again. This time, the boy was going to ignore it. However, while he was concentrating on the tingling sensation, the burning feeling spread throughout his skinny body dangerously.

Harry panicked, but it was too late. He tried to suppress the burning sensation to no avail. Knowing that he had to stop the transformation immediately, Harry snapped his eyes open.

Raging fire was licking his body. The strange thing was that it did not hurt him. Nevertheless, Harry gave a frightened yell, only to discover that it had become a screech instead. The fire burned more fiercely and all Harry could see were bright golden flames.

_Follow my voice... Be free... Someone whispered repeatedly. The voice was soft and comforting. Harry listened to it unconsciously. His closed his eyes and started to enjoy the warmth surrounding him._

His consciousness was slowly slipping away...

* * *

Author notes: For those who read ¡§Memory of a Wolf¡¨ and ¡§Friend or Foe¡¨, I¡¦m sorry that I haven¡¦t updated for a long time. My beta-reader has been very busy recently. I¡¦ve already written several new chapters for both stories. Thank you for your support.


	3. Chapter 2

**_Special thanks to my beta reader, Crab Apple Fairy_**

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 2**

Harry stirred. His brain felt like cotton and he could hardly think. His body was itching horribly. He tried to raise his hand to scratch himself, only to find that his arm wouldn¡¦t bend at that angle.

Something sharp and pointy poked his head. It scratched the skin under his hair comfortably. Harry sighed in bliss. The pointy thing moved down to his itching back. It pulled the hair on his back and the itchy feeling ebbed away.

_Hang on. Since when had he had fluffy hair all over his back?_

Harry opened his eyes. There was something odd, but he did not know how to describe it. Something red jumped into his view. He came face to face with the abnormally big head of the Headmaster¡¦s phoenix.

¡§Fawkes!¡¨ Harry yelled as he jumped nearly three feet in the air. When he landed, his legs suddenly felt weak and gave away. Harry fell flat on his face. He found his head buried in ashes.

Fawkes was strangely huge in Harry¡¦s opinion. He moved closer to Harry and opened his golden beak. ¡§Hello.¡¨

Harry almost choked on the ashes. ¡§Y-you talk!¡¨

Fawkes cocked his head to one side. He spoke again. ¡§You can, too.¡¨

The Gryffindor sputtered, ¡§H-how?¡¨

Fawkes did not answer him. Instead, he flew to the corner of the room and pulled out an average-sized mirror. He tilted the mirror a little bit, so that it was facing Harry.

¡§You should take a look at yourself,¡¨ Fawkes said. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Harry peered at the mirror curiously. Then he gasped.

There was a magnificent phoenix in the mirror. 

It looked a lot like Fawkes. Its body and wings were a lighter shade of red than Fawkes¡¦ were, and had more gold feathers in them. The tail feathers, which were several inches longer than Fawkes¡¦ were, were blood red at the beginning, but became darker in mid-way. At the tips, the feathers were splashed with beautiful dark gold.

The plumage on the phoenix¡¦s delicate head was messy as hell. Several black feathers stuck on end and refused to lay flat. There were also tufts of fine golden feathers, forming two markings on its forehead. One looked like Harry¡¦s famous lightning bolt; the other was the mirror image of it. Both markings were situated a bit lateral from the centre. The most beautiful thing was that the phoenix¡¦s eyes were bright emerald green, as if they were glowing.

Harry blinked.

The phoenix in the mirror blinked back at him.

Harry then noticed that he was gaping. He quickly closed his mouth with a snap.

The phoenix, looking rather silly with its beak opened wide a second before, also closed its beak.

Harry stared at his reflection in silence. Realization suddenly hit him with full force.

¡§It¡¦s me!¡¨ he exclaimed. He didn¡¦t know he was actually screeching. Fawkes winced at the shrill sound.

¡§Of course. What do you expect when you look at the mirror?¡¨ Fawkes joked lightly.

¡§My animagus form is a phoenix,¡¨ Harry said dazedly, ¡§I always thought my form was a cross between a parrot and a goose.¡¨

¡§What?¡¨ Fawkes exclaimed. This time it was Harry¡¦s turn to wince.

Harry decided to ignore Fawkes¡¦ complaints that he did not resemble a parrot or a goose. Instead, he started to examine his wings and claws. He put his weight on his talons. This time he could balance himself. 

A sudden thought came to his mind. How did a phoenix walk? He had never seen Fawkes walk before. Every time he saw Fawkes, the bird was sitting on his perch. He knew sparrows hopped. Maybe phoenixes hopped, too. Anyway, it was worth a try.

Harry jumped forward, and it was a big mistake. The sudden weight made his joints buckle. He had to flap his wings to maintain his balance. He heard Fawkes make a funny noise, and he pretended not to hear it. Well, perheps phoenixes walked like chickens, their heads jerking forward with every step they took.

The Gryffindor-bird stuck his foot out and placed it on the stone floor. Cautiously, he put his other foot ahead. Yet, he forgot that a bird¡¦s leg bent in the opposite direction that a human¡¦s did. Therefore, he tripped and fell onto the floor in a heap.

_That was really pathetic._

Fawkes gave a sound that was almost equivalent to a snort.

¡§Don¡¦t laugh,¡¨ Harry grumbled irritably. He couldn¡¦t believe it. He didn¡¦t know how to _walk_!

¡§Watch me,¡¨ Fawkes said as he taught Harry how to walk. Harry, somewhat reluctantly, watched Fawkes holding his head high and walking gracefully back and forth.

¡§No need to show off,¡¨ Harry mumbled as he imitated Fawkes¡¦ movements.

Thirty minutes later, Harry finally got used to his new limbs. Fawkes seemed to be satisfied. Harry stared at the true phoenix, a question forming in his little head.

¡§Hmm, Fawkes?¡¨ he asked uncertainly.

¡§Are you wondering why I¡¦m here?¡¨ Fawkes turned his intelligent black eyes to Harry.

Harry nodded his head. Several feathers fell into his eyes. He tried to brush it away with his wing, but failed miserably. With a cry of frustration, Harry raised his leg and tried to scratch his head with his talons. He succeeded, though he fell onto his side in the next second.

If Fawkes had lips, he would have smiled broadly. He knew he should not laugh at an adorable new-born. Instead, he decided to tell Harry the reason why he was there.

¡§I sensed a new phoenix being born in the castle. So I went to investigate. I found you in phoenix fire. I reached to you mentally and knew you were Harry. Your human part was slipping away. I pulled it back,¡¨ Fawkes explained simply.

Harry felt light-headed. He had almost given in to the animal instincts. _Trying to transform without company, huh? How very _clever_ he was. If Fawkes had not found him, he would have been trapped in the creature¡¦s mind forever._

¡§Well, thanks,¡¨ Harry whispered gratefully. His voice was a soft, beautiful note. He suddenly felt very guilty that he had acted so rude to Fawkes before.

¡§We should help each other. There are so few of us on the planet. It¡¦s difficult to meet another phoenix,¡¨ Fawkes said. ¡§Besides, if I didn¡¦t pull your human mind back, you wouldn¡¦t have grown so quickly. You¡¦re a tiny, featherless nestling when I found you.¡¨

Harry took a sharp intake of breath. Luckily Mrs. Norris hadn¡¦t found him when he was unconscious. The blasted cat wouldn¡¦t have wasted another minute to swallow him alive. His expression must have been very funny, because Fawkes gave a laughing whistle.

¡§Anyway, you¡¦ve grown enough feathers,¡¨ Fawkes changed the topic skillfully. ¡§Do you want to take a flight?¡¨

* * *

_Thanks to all reviewers: Fallen Dragon, Ice Lupus, Kylena_


	4. Chapter 3

**_Special thanks to my beta-reader, Crab Apple Fairy_**

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 3**

Harry looked at Fawkes warily. He could not even walk properly in the beginning, so he did not quite trust his wings.

Fawkes stared back at him thoughtfully. Then he walked closer towards the smaller phoenix. He opened his beak and without warning, he pulled one of Harry¡¦s tail feathers, hard.

Harry gave a squeal of pain. He jumped in the air and flapped his wings wildly. He rose a few feet in the air and glided forward. He landed clumsily on a chair nearby, keeping a good distance away from Fawkes.

¡§It hurts!¡¨ Harry said in annoyance as he examined the damage to his tail.

¡§You flew. You shouldn¡¦t doubt your wings,¡¨ Fawkes said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Harry thought for a moment. Fawkes was helping him to fly then. There was something wrong with that sentence. His eyes widened.

¡§Hang on. How do you know I doubt my wings?¡¨ Harry asked in awe.

¡§Phoenixes can sense other beings¡¦ emotions,¡¨ the phoenix explained. ¡§Besides, your doubtful expression was pretty obvious.¡¨

Harry¡¦s feathers rose in embarrassment. _He_ _really looks like a fluffy feathery ball, Fawkes mused. Harry did look a bit bigger when he ruffled his feathers, but he was still a few inches shorter and smaller than Fawkes._

¡§I¡¦ll teach you how to do that later. You need to learn to fly properly first.¡¨ The giant bird spread his wings and leapt at Harry, who trilled in surprise and flew away.

Fawkes kept on chasing Harry. The poor animagus did not know he was falling into a trap. The bigger bird had forced him to land on the windowsill. Harry took a look at the ground far below. Then he looked at the approaching Fawkes. He suddenly knew what was coming next.

¡§Tell me you wouldn¡¦t,¡¨ Harry pleaded. He tried to get away from the window, but Fawkes blocked his pitiful attempt at escape. With a mischievous twinkle in his beady eyes, Fawkes dove forward, effectively sending Harry out through the window.

The first thought came to Harry¡¦s mind was: _I¡¦m going to die_. He did not have his wand or a broom, so he would not survive. He let himself fall in the air freely, completely forgetting his wings.

¡§Spread you wings! _Now!_¡¨

Harry did what he was told. Immediately, a giant air current lifted him upwards. He glided in the air smoothly like an eagle. Harry let out a relieved trill, and concentrated on flapping his wings.

Fawkes joined him a moment later. He did not look so pleased.

¡§You should have spread your wings earlier. You nearly broke your neck,¡¨ he chided and motioned Harry to follow him.

¡§It was you who pushed me out of the window!¡¨ Harry argued. He still could not believe that Fawkes could do such thing.

¡§Every fledgling is taught in this way,¡¨ Fawkes stated calmly.

¡§I¡¦m not a fledgling!¡¨ Harry shot back. He had a lot of feathers, and he wasn¡¦t bald.

Fawkes eyed him meaningfully, showing him that he was just an inexperienced little bird, no matter what Harry thought. Harry clicked his beak in objection, but Fawkes ignored him. 

Instead, the elder phoenix spent an hour teaching Harry how to turn, dive and rise during a flight. Harry hadn¡¦t known that flying with wings required skills, but he knew now. Only when his muscles were screaming in fatigue did Harry notice that it was already dawn.

¡§I need to go back. I¡¦m really tired,¡¨ Harry panted as he barely avoided hitting a tree.

Fawkes gave him a disapproving look. Nevertheless, he guided his charge back to the Astronomy Tower. The younger bird landed clumsily again. Fawkes shook his head in dismay. Harry had never learnt to flap his wings a bit when he landed. That was why the little phoenix always hit the floor with a sickening thud.

The true phoenix looked at Harry with interest. The fledgling ruffled his feathers and seemed to be concentrated on something. Suddenly the determination was gone and fear started to radiate from the animagus. Fawkes grew a bit worried.

¡§What¡¦s wrong, Harry?¡¨

¡§I can¡¦t change back to my human form!¡¨ Harry said in a panicked voice.

Actually, Harry was not scared. He was traumatized. He knew transforming back to human form was not difficult. Both Ron and Hermione said the same thing. You couldn¡¦t change back only if your animal instincts took over you in the transformation. Harry was pretty damn sure that his human mental part still remained in one piece. Yet he couldn¡¦t transform back to human form. How was that possible?

Fawkes was concerned about Harry, but he could not deny that watching a panicking phoenix was highly amusing. Phoenixes were very composed. May be it had something to do with the animagus transformation¡¦s side effects. Harry¡¦s plumage had laid flat on his head, and his tail feathers were sticking high in the air. Not to mention Harry had started to pace back and forth like a crazy chicken. Fawkes had to suppress giving a laughing note.

Harry decided to check the instructions again, in case he missed anything. When he looked at the last part of the content, he froze.

_Once you have successfully transformed, try to get used to your new body by practicing walking first. Remember to change back to your human self within an hour._

_To change back, just think of your human form. It is an easy task, though there will be a painful sensation._

_P.S. If you stay in your animagus form for longer than an hour in your first transformation, you are likely to be trapped in your animal body, even if your mind does not slip. For details, refer to page 150._

_P.P.S.__ If you discover that you have the potential to become a magical creature, don¡¦t even think about transforming. No one knows what will happen. For relevant information, you can turn to page 180._

_P.P.P.S.__ If you are stuck in your animagus form, Mr. Prongs and Mr. Padfoot would like to tell you that they are sorry, and you have to finish the mess on your own, as you are such a hopeless, stupid git._

Harry looked at the last sentence, dumbfounded. He was a hopeless, stupid git. _No, that wasn¡¦t important._ He had to find a way to change back. Harry used his wing to flip to the correct page.

The content was mainly about why you could not change back to human form after your first transformation. Harry doubted his father and godfather wrote that part. Maybe they just copied from another book. Only the last part provided the means of correcting mal-transformations.

_The most effective way is to pour the Mandrake Restorative Draught onto the unlucky person. The ingredients for the potion are¡K_

Harry stopped reading. His heart was thumping fast in hopelessness. Only Hermione knew how to brew a complicated potion correctly. She would not be back until two days before the term started. As he started to moan mentally for his fate, a sudden happy thought came to his mind.

_Why did he want to change back? Flying freely in the air was better than studying¡K He could even sing, encouraging those with pure hearts. It was his duty¡K_

Harry hastily pushed the thought out of his mind. Damn animal instincts, really. With a downhearted trill, he looked up at Fawkes.

¡§I¡¦m doomed,¡¨ he said, letting his head hit the floor.

* * *

_Thanks to all reviewers: Squirrelface RAE, Kathleen, Snapes daughter, Hogwarts-student, Ice Lupus_

_I¡¦m glad that you like this story. Thank you for your support._


	5. Chapter 4

**Special thanks to my beta-reader, Crab Apple Fairy**

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 4**

Fawkes only took five minutes to cheer Harry up. Although Harry¡¦s human side still stubbornly tried to control his actions, his animal side continued to attack** his mind.**** Harry could hardly be upset and angry for longer than three minutes. Second, Harry had already started preening his feathers with an astonishing skill.**

¡§Harry?¡¨ 

Harry turned his emerald eyes to Fawkes. He was currently nibbling the small patch of short feathers under his tail. His posture did not hold any dignity. Fawkes clicked his beak in disapproval.

¡§What¡¦s the matter?¡¨ Harry asked as he checked whether his feathers were in correct alignment. He attacked the feathers in his left wing next.

¡§I¡¦m thinking that if you stay in this form for a long time, you need to learn how to be a phoenix properly and quickly,¡¨ Fawkes said.

Harry thought for a moment. That was really a bit depressing, but it would certainly do him some good.

¡§I don¡¦t really have a choice, do I?¡¨ Harry asked in a cheerful thrill. _By the way, where did that insane happiness come from?_

Fawkes nodded his head. ¡§We¡¦ll start by finding food first. Follow me,¡¨ he said as he flew through the window.

Harry had no choice but to followthe larger phoenix. He expected Fawkes to** fly towards the Dark Forest. To his surprise, the Headmaster¡¦s phoenix flew down to the greenhouse. The two magical birds flew through the small opening of the roof.**

Fawkes went towards a group of seemingly ordinary plants immediately. Harry, knowing that magical plants had a tendency to attack humans, hesitated. Fawkes noticed this and pushed Harry forward.

¡§Don¡¦t worry. They¡¦re not magical plants. They¡¦re just poppies,¡¨ Fawkes said as he pulled the showy flowers off the stem. ¡§Here, eat these.¡¨

Harry took a mouthful of the herbs. His human mind was screaming that he should not eat something like this, but his phoenix part thought they were delicious. The sweet and bitter tastes mixed strangely well. The petals were juicy and tasty. Harry swallowed the food quickly. He found it amusing that he did not need to chew.

Fawkes was eating a poppy flower, too. Harry suddenly remembered that the school nurse¡¦s name was Poppy. 

An image of him eating a miniature matron came across his mind. Harry thought it was really funny and he tried hard not to make a laughing note. 

When the animagus looked up, Fawkes had already finished his meal and was talking aloud.

¡§Usually I would go to the forest to find food. There are plenty of different kinds of herbs. I like dandelion seeds and leaves the most,¡¨ the fiery bird said, almost dreamily.

¡§We can go to the Dark Forest then,¡¨ Harry suggested. He wondered what types of tasty herbs he could find there.

¡§You can¡¦t,¡¨ Fawkes shot a stern look at the smaller phoenix. When he saw Harry starting to protest, he added patiently. ¡§There are protective charms and wards on you. If you leave the school grounds, the alarm will be triggered,¡¨

Harry¡¦s feathers rose. He had** not known that there were protective charms placed on him. That explained why Dumbledore had left Hogwarts even though Voldemort was back. The news would reach him quickly, in case something happened. **

Harry looked around at the greenhouse. He had to eat the plants here until he could transform back to his human self. He wondered if Professor Sprout would eat him alive if she found that it was him who had** swallowed her unfortunate plants.**

¡§However, I know where to find dandelion seeds besides the forest,¡¨ Fawkes continued, and Harry¡¦s eyes lit up.

¡§Really?¡¨ Harry asked hopefully. Although he was no longer hungry, he still wanted to taste the supposedly delicious herbs.

Fawkes gave an amused sound and took off, with Harry on his tail. He ignored the astonishment radiating off the younger bird as he flew into the great hall. He asked Harry to follow him, and landed neatly in front of the Transfiguration Professor and Potions Master at the staff table.

¡§Hello, Fawkes. What brings you here?¡¨ Minerva McGonagall kindly greeted the noble phoenix. Fawkes let out an unearthly, beautiful squeal.

The Deputy Headmistress did not know what the bird was saying, but Harry did. Fawkes was saying, ¡§I want food! I want food!¡¨ Harry rolled his eyes, and immediately regretted that. He did not see where he was going. As a result, he crashed into Snape¡¦s plate of food.

Severus Snape raised an eyebrow. He was surprised that there was a new phoenix in Hogwarts. The clumsy landing of the bird was highly amusing. Snape tried hard not to curl his lips upwards. Smiling would ruin his reputation. Luckily there wasn¡¦t much food left on the plate, otherwise he would be splashed with the stuff.

¡§I see you bring another phoenix here. Is it your friend?¡¨ Minerva asked as she observed the smaller creature, which was trying to get its footing on the slippery plate.

¡§Of course it is,¡¨ Snape said curtly. It was stupid question, really. Birds did _not_ talk.

The strict professor ignored him. It was quite clear that the woman did not quite get along with the sour man. Instead, she turned to the game keeper and asked politely.

¡§Do you know the gender of Fawkes¡¦ little friend? May be it is Fawkes¡¦ mate.¡¨

Harry opened his beak, trying to emit an offended noise, but Hagrid cut him off** halfway. Large hands scooped his little body up and turned him over. Harry was too shocked to screech as Hagrid pushed his soft feathers aside and checked his genitalia.**

¡§He¡¦s a boy,¡¨ Hagrid announced proudly. Little did he know how right he was. ****

¡§You mean the phoenix is a male,¡¨ Snape said coldly, his lips curled in disgust at Hagrid¡¦s inappropriate words.

Hagrid did not mind at all. He let go of the small phoenix as the bird started to struggle violently and make angry shrieks.

Harry scrambled to his claws hastily. He threw an affronted look at Hagrid and started to preen his feathers. He shuddered as he tasted meat when he nibbled his wings. Fawkes decided to feel sorry for the small bird, and he helped preen Harry¡¦s feathers affectionately, much to Harry¡¦s embarrassment. 

Harry turned around and stared at Fawkes in mild annoyance. Seeing the amused look in the large phoenix¡¦s sable eyes, Harry felt his frustration dissolve into nothing.

¡§Why did you bring me here anyway? There¡¦s no plant at all! I¡¦m making myself look like a silly chicken,¡¨ Harry trilled half-heartedly. He wished he could yell at Fawkes, but he did not have the heart to do so.

* * *

**_Thanks to all reviewers: Ice Lupus, Skipastarseeker, Fallen Dragon, Englishgirl, Crab Apple Fairy, Dragania _****_Amma Lyris Malfoy, Boris and PhoenixPadfoot89 _**

****

**_Squirrelface RAE: Thank you for your suggestion. It¡¦s a great idea. Actually, Fawkes would act like a brother of Harry most of the time. However, he would sometimes take the parental role. How could that be possible? Well, you¡¦ll see¡K_**


	6. Chapter 5

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 5**

¡§To find dandelion seeds, of course,¡¨ Fawkes happily chirped.

Harry let out a bird-like snort. ¡§Trying to fool me? I don¡¦t think so.¡¨

The true phoenix ignored him and walked gracefully towards the Potions Master. He cocked his elegant head and trilled once, staring deeply into the man¡¦s ebony eyes.

Snape raised an eyebrow when Fawkes approached him. He was quite fond of the creature, and he was not going to tell anyone about that. Fawkes had even saved his life once, although Dumbledore did not know about the incident. Snape was quite smug that the Headmaster did not know everything.

Fawkes, knowing the man was lost in his own amusement, decided to take a more aggressive tactic. He began to attack the man¡¦s robe and bury his head in the Potions Master¡¦s tight sleeve.

Harry watched with interest as Snape¡¦s expression changed from irritation to resignedness. The black-haired man began to fumble in his robe pockets, while Professor McGonagall and Hagrid looked a bit startled at Fawkes¡¦ behavior.

¡§I think Fawkes wants somethin¡¦ from yeh,¡¨ Hagrid commented. He looked at the smaller phoenix longingly, hoping that the creature would come to him as well. However, the bird gave him an annoyed look and turned away, his tail facing the half-giant.

¡§Like I don¡¦t know,¡¨ Snape muttered darkly. He pulled out a small jar from one of the many folds of his robe. Upon seeing the content of the jar, Fawkes made an excited noise.

Curious, Harry walked closer to the man. He wondered what was in that jar.

¡§What¡¦s that?¡¨ Minerva asked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and tried to examine the substance.

¡§Dandelion seeds.¡¨ Snape said flatly, like it was the most recognizable thing in the world. He shook the jar slightly and turned to Fawkes. ¡§I know you want them, Fawkes. Go on.¡¨

The bird made happy sounds again, and poked the jar repeatedly. The other phoenix stared at the jar as well. He edged even closer by the minute.

Snape eyed Fawkes¡¦ sharp beak warily. Then he opened the jar and poured out a handful of dandelion seeds. He extended his hand towards Fawkes wordlessly.

Fawkes happily ducked in. He used his perfect beak to pick up the finest seeds, and swallowed them eagerly. Harry looked at the food with interest. The seeds had a delicious aroma, and the white soft fur was very inviting. He moved his delicate head forward, hoping to examine the herbs more closely. His beak almost touched the Potions Master¡¦s thumb.

Fawkes sang a note, encouraging Harry to try the herbs. Harry opened his beak obediently and tried to catch a few of the herbs. He could not even pick one successfully, not to mention to swallow them. The furry thing was too slippery. Harry let out some pitiful chirrups, which sounded a lot like whimpers.

The Headmaster¡¦s phoenix had to clamp his beak shut so that he would not emit laughing squeals. Eating required skills- it was not a joke. Fawkes wanted to help Harry, but the seeds were too small. Harry had to open his beak wide and allow Fawkes to transfer the food down his throat. Fawkes doubted Harry would like to be fed like a baby bird. Besides, he¡¦d rather wolf down the delicious dandelion seeds himself.

The magical creature stared at Snape and shifted his gaze on Harry thoughtfully. An idea popped up in his little brain.

_Albus__ always thinks that they act too mean to each other. Maybe my_ method can make them to be friends.__

Wanting to prove that he was smarter than the old Headmaster, Fawkes nudged Snape¡¦s hand gently.

Snape looked at Fawkes questionably, not knowing what the bird wanted this time. Fawkes nudged the man¡¦s hand again. The bird picked up a dandelion seed and moved his head towards the smaller bird.

The Potions Master got the message this time. Looking at Fawkes doubtfully, he took the seed that the bird offered. With great cautiousness, he extended his hand to Fawkes¡¦ charge.

Harry saw Snape offering him food. His first thought was to bite Snape¡¦s smelly fingers, hard. _What does he think he¡¦s doing? Feeding a pet bird? Harry¡¦s anger grew. He had already opened his beak wide, preparing to strike._

¡§Stop, Harry. He only wants to help.¡¨ Fawkes warned.

¡§I don¡¦t need him feeding me!¡¨ Harry scoffed, his syllables came out as a squawk.

¡§The most important thing is that he has the will to help you.¡¨ the magical bird said.

If Harry was in his human form, he must have frowned. What was Fawkes getting at? There was no way eating whatever offered by the git of a Potions Master. Getting annoyed at the hand sticking in front of him, Harry glared at Snape. Their gazes locked together. Then something happened.

Harry felt as if he was falling into the man¡¦s beetle-black eyes. Countless emotions were crushing onto him. Sadness¡K anger¡K weariness¡K guilt¡K and many others. There were too many negative emotions that Harry almost couldn¡¦t breathe. He hoped that he could find some positive emotions in the man. Then he noticed that behind those dark emotions, there were affection and passion, waiting to be unleashed.

_Snape__ was not heartless. He wanted to be trusted and loved, too. He hid those feelings away just because he was afraid that his hope would be crushed¡K_

The warm feelings swirling within Snape¡¦s eyes made Harry feel like as if he was wrapped in a warm, fluffy blanket. He knew the man was on the light side now¡K No evil man would have such type of fervors¡K

Harry felt his mind become fuzzy. His surroundings blurred. All he could see clearly was the emotional storm in the Potions Master¡¦s eyes. Without knowing what he was doing, Harry took the food from Snape and rubbed his cheek affectionately against the man¡¦s pale hand.

***

_Author¡¦s notes: Here¡¦s chapter five. Hope you¡¦ll like it. This chapter has not been beta-read yet. Sorry for any mistakes that I¡¦ve made. I¡¦ll re-post this chapter when I finish correcting the mistakes some time later._

**_Crab Apple Fairy__: Where¡¦re you? Please leave a message when you¡¦ve read this¡K_**

_Thank you to all reviewers:_

**_Ice Lupus, PhoenixPadfoot89, Skipastarseeker, Skullfarmer, Squirrelface RAE, Snapes_daughter, Kathleen, Crookykanks, Goprongs90, Boris, _****_Gryphon_**_, _******_Jordan_**_, _******_Hobbs_**_ and Smoofie._********


	7. Chapter 6

**Special thanks to my beta-reader, Crab Apple Fairy**

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 6**

Snape was stunned. He could swear that he had just angered the small phoenix. The bird had even been ready to peck his hands several minutes ago. Luckily, Fawkes had stopped the small feathery thing, much to Snape¡¦s relief. Then he had felt the fiery bird judge him. The incident made him feel oddly exposed. He didn¡¦t expect that the bird would trust him, not to mention showing passion to him.

The Potions Master raised his head cautiously, and he found that all the teaching staffs and students were staring at him, wide-eyed.

"What?" Snape asked bitingly. The cold look in his eyes was enough to make the students avert their gaze and exit the hall hastily.

The professors are still watching Snape¡¦s every move. Snape pretended not to notice anything and fed Harry another dandelion seed.

"I think he likes yeh." Hagrid said faintly, a bit shocked that the lovely bird had a liking for the grumpy man, but not a creature-loving person like him.

"It was going to bite you minutes ago!" Professor Filwick exclaimed. He tried to stand on the chair to get a better view of the new phoenix.

Professor McGonagall eyed the small phoenix and Snape with interest. She noticed that the bird was quite moody. It was really strange. Phoenixes were very composed and well-mannered. _May be this nestling was a bit different, she mused. No wonder they liked each other. Birds of a feather flocked together. This was a rule in nature._

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry¡¦s human part took control again, only after he had gulped down several large dandelion seeds.

And he realized what he had done.

_Oh no, no, no, no, no..._

Harry screamed in his mind. He had taken food from Snape. He had been fed by his most hated teacher. He accepted the food like a cute little pet bird. How disgusting.

_No! This is not happening!_

Harry let out a mournful note. If Snape found out that he was the phoenix, the Potions Master would certainly tell everyone about it and boast how ¡¥obedient¡¦ Harry was. He probably wouldn¡¦t be able to face anyone again. He could almost see Snape¡¦s smirking face in his mind. Harry suddenly felt like he wanted to bury himself deeply in the ground.

"No need to be so hysterical, fledgling." Fawkes chided.

"You don¡¦t understand! You don¡¦t understand! You don¡¦t understand!" Harry turned to Fawkes in hysterics and cried. He was so close to nervous breakdown that he didn¡¦t realize that he had repeated the same sentence for the third time.

"Calm down!" Fawkes warned as the teachers stared at the screeching bird confusedly.

However, Harry did not seem to be calmed. His phoenix form could not handle such human emotional turmoil. The animal instincts tried to take over, and Harry¡¦s human side fought against them furiously in response. The battle between two entirely different ways of thinking was ripping Harry¡¦s brain apart.

Fawkes knew that Harry was in big trouble now. The child¡¦s mind would be damaged permanently if Harry lost control of his emotions. The giant phoenix let out an unearthly squeal as he wrapped his wings around the smaller bird. Then they disappeared in a swirl of flames.

* * *

Snape stared at the ashes left behind. He couldn¡¦t help thinking that the new phoenix was a bit odd. The bird was way too temperamental. The feathery thing seemed to hate him, but it rubbed his hand passionately in the next second. Then the bird screeched in anguish for no reason and disappeared with Fawkes.

"Hmm, Severus?" Professor McGonagall began uncertainly.

Snape turned to the Transfiguration teacher, one of his eyebrows raised delicately.

"Are you okay? I mean, you look a bit shocked." Minerva said neutrally. She had a vague expression on her face.

Snape snorted. "I¡¦m perfectly fine." he said smoothly. He cleared the ashes with a wave of his wand. Then he pocketed the jar of herbs and left the Great Hall.

All professors stared at the retreating Potions Maser. When they made sure that Snape was out of earshot, the teachers burst into heated conversations.

"I don¡¦t believe it! That lovely bird likes Snape?" Madam Hooch exclaimed in exasperation.

"It must be a mistake." Professor Figg, the new Muggle Studies teacher, agreed fervently with Hooch. _Maybe Snape added something to the dandelion seeds, she thought._

"Is it normal for phoenixes to lose their emotional control so easily?" Filwick asked with a frown. "You know, when that phoenix stared at Snape, he had that strange look in his eyes."

"He is only a baby phoenix!" Hagrid protested. Although the bird did not seem to be fond of him, the half-giant still defended the fiery creature¡¦s sanity.

"How do you know?" Minerva asked. She did not know so much about phoenixes. Fawkes was not always present when she went to the Headmaster¡¦s office.

_Albus__ would be surprised that there was another phoenix in school, she noted. Lost in her thoughts, she missed what Hagrid had said. A chuckle nearby caught her attention again._

"Sorry, what did you say?" Minerva looked at her amused colleagues in confusion.

"I say the bird is a fledglin¡¦ ¡¥cos it¡¦s much smaller than Fawkes." Hagrid said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Minerva couldn¡¦t help chuckling as well. Hagrid was a kind man, but he was really too poorly simple-minded sometimes.

"I wonder where they go to..." Arabella Figg said thoughtfully, her eyes never leaving the charred spot on the table. 

* * *

_I finally have time to upload a new chapter! Wish you a successful new year!_

_Thanks to all reviewers: _

**Tanya Dinocrisis01, Kemenran, Slytherdor, Crookykanks, smoofie, Wynjara, Luceid, skipastarseeker, kym,** and **Gablock**** the Hated**

**Lady Cinnibar:** I know I have some problems when uploading the apostrophes... However, when I try to upload the story in doc file, all the italics are gone! I wish someone would tell me how to upload italics if I save the story as a doc file...

**Squirrelface**** RAE: Well, even if your cat wouldn¡¦t eat birds, it would not be so good to keep cats and birds together. Birds are really scared of cats, you know. I remembered once I saw an abandoned kitten on my way home, I brought it to my house and the little bird of mine had a panic attack! It was wheezing noisily and I saw his legs grew weak!**

**Wanderingwolf****: Harry hadn¡¦t set off the alarms so far, and Dumbledore was away from school. So he wouldn¡¦t know Harry wasn¡¦t human anymore. Of course, the teacher would get suspicious when they noticed a certain boy-who-lived did not appear for a long time... **


	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks to my beta-reader, Crab Apple Fairy**

**Flying Free**

**Chapter 7**

Fawkes and Harry reappeared just above the lake. Fawkes flapped his wings and hovered in the air gracefully; Harry, oblivious to his surroundings, dropped into the icy water.

"W-wha-?" The painful freezing sensation jerked Harry out of his emotional turmoil. Harry tried to let out a horrified squeak, but he gulped down several mouthfuls of water instead.

Fawkes picked Harry up with his claws as the smaller bird started to sink deeper into the water. He knew Harry could not swim very well. He had seen how Harry struggled in the water in the second task two years ago. If his master and the judge hadn't helped the child, Harry would have collapsed right away. Now watching Harry try to catch his breath, Fawkes couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

_Maybe dumping Harry on the snow is better than throwing him into the lake_, Fawkes thought regretfully.

The giant bird rose in the air and flew towards the Headmaster's office, carrying the limp, tiny soaked bird with his talons. Once he went through the window of the room, he laid a shivering Harry on the thick carpet.

Harry was trembling like mad. He seemed to be disoriented and couldn't even stand up. When Fawkes nudged him gently, the smaller bird just let himself lean limply on the bigger bird's body.

Fawkes' worry became more extreme. As Harry was all wet, the feathers were stuck together. Fawkes then noticed Harry was actually very skinny. He had never met another nestling as thin as Harry. The tiny thing was definitely under-fed. The true phoenix wondered why Harry's feathers hadn't just fallen out since he was so malnourished.

"N-thizzz-!" Harry sneezed. His head jerked forward dramatically. Still shuddering in cold, Harry drew his legs under his damp feathers. 

Fawkes looked around and saw that the fireplace was not lit up. Harry didn't seem to know how to warm himself up, either. Mentally scolding himself for dumping Harry into the lake, Fawkes scooted closer to the shivering form. He concentrated on calling upon the phoenix's magic, and his body radiated gentle heat like a lovely stove.

Harry's quivers ceased gradually and he snuggled closer to the warmth. He buried his beak in a tuft of soft, dry feathers. It was so comfortable. He let his eyelids droop as he started to feel a bit drowsy.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Fawkes asked worriedly. He could feel Harry's beak tickle him. The phoenix squirmed a bit at the itchy sensation.

"Still cold," Harry said sleepily. He buried his head deeper into Fawkes' wings.

"Don't sleep now. I have something important to tell you." Fawkes let out several waves of warmth, drying Harry's dank feathers effectively.

"Hmm?" Harry raised his head a bit. He was squeaking like a baby bird.

"Do you remember what happened?" the true phoenix asked as he observed Harry's now dry and fuzzy crest.

Harry shook his head slowly. His brain was still a little foggy. His head also throbbed uncomfortably, as if he had concentrated on something for a very long time.

"You had an emotional breakdown. I couldn't calm you, so I dumped you into the lake. Sorry about that." Fawkes apologized, regret leaking through his thrill. 

"That explains why I was soaked and cold." Harry muttered unhappily. He did not have the strength to be mad at Fawkes.

"When it happens again, I promise you I'll dump you onto the snow instead." Fawkes finished.

Harry shot him a half-hearted glare.

"Anyway, what I want to tell you is that you shouldn't lose your temper like that." Fawkes regained his 'paternal mode' and he said in a professional manner.

"Now I'm being lectured, too." the small bird squealed irritably. He only wanted to preen his feathers. Harry could feel his feathers were sticking up in different directions. That was pretty annoying. When Fawkes tried to get Harry's attention again, the small phoenix yelped, "Leave me alone!"

Fawkes considered pecking at Harry's head, but thought better of it. Instead, his eyes glowed and he sang a beautiful note. The wonderful sound wrapped around Harry's body. The animagus felt his mind go hazy again. Harry stopped preening his feathers and stared at the elder phoenix in a daze.

The Headmaster's phoenix smiled inwardly. Phoenixes had a special ability, which was able to persuade, or rather, make their children listen to them. This enabled the parents to teach their offspring better. So every fledgling could grow up to be a noble, proud creature.

In reality, Fawkes did not know whether this little trick could work. Strictly speaking, he was Harry's 'parent'. After all, he was the first and only living being that Harry saw when the fledgling awoke. Fawkes had thought that Harry's animagus status might prevent them from establishing this relationship. Obviously he was wrong. Anyway, he had to use this chance to teach Harry now.

"As I was saying, losing control over your emotions will do you no good. Your mind could be seriously damaged." Fawkes said. He ruffled his feathers in pride as he saw that Harry was attentive. The green orbs shone with innocent curiosity.

"Phoenixes cannot mature once their minds are impaired," the bigger bird said, "and they cannot breed, either." 

"Why?" Harry asked dazedly.

"It's because Nature chooses the best." the phoenix bird replied. "It's a rule in the Universe."

Harry looked at Fawkes confusedly. He did not understand. With his animal instincts taking over, his mind really resembled a tiny bird's. He did not voice a question, though. His 'parent' seemed to want him to stay silent.

Fawkes proceeded to teach Harry how to keep his emotions in control. Harry behaved like an obedient nestling, swallowing his 'parent's' every word.

"Do you understand now, Harry?" the fiery bird asked after an hour of tutoring.

The young creature responded with a trustful note, which pleased Fawkes to no end. _Finally a birdie listens to me!_ He noticed Harry's tired features. So he spread his wings to embrace the smaller form and released Harry from his phoenix's magic.

"Go to sleep, my child." Fawkes lured the weary bird to sleep with a peaceful song.

Harry enjoyed the embrace and buried his head deeply in his wings. It felt so¡K fatherly. "Yes, Dad." he replied sleepily, not realizing what he had just said. He made some quiet, squeaky noises instinctively before he went completely silent.

Fawkes' eyes softened as he heard Harry's last few words. His parental instincts grew in an alarming speed. To be honest, he liked this Harry better. _This_ Harry acted more like a true fledgling. Fawkes knew that Harry's human part would take control again when the young bird woke up. He just hoped that this side of Harry would re-surface soon.

Trilling softly, Fawkes rubbed his head against Harry's affectionately. He wasn't sleepy at all. So he spent the next few hours guarding his charge protectively.

* * * 

Thanks to all reviewers:

**_Ironic-humour, Wynjara, SilverKnight7, Insane Creature, PhoenixPadfoot89, SilverDragonHawk, lovelydarkness, Erisinia Gazelle, Chi (_****_Elda_****_) Motosuwa, Fangfoot, big-bad-kyubi, skipastarseeker, kianie, Capn-BlackRose, Calen_**

**_Chady_**: Well, Harry wanted to keep his animagus form in secret. If he flew out of the boundary of Hogwarts, the alarms would be triggered. Then Harry would have a hard time explaining to his teachers.

**_Ice-Tea-1983_**: Err¡K This is not a slash story, I assure you. Actually this story should be considered as an AU fan-fiction. I'll add that in the summary later.

**_Kateydidnt_**: Ron and Hermione were not in Hogwarts during the Christmas Holidays. I'll try my best to manage the odd punctuations, anyway!

Author's notes: Well¡K I'm still alive and writing my stories. Exam is approaching and I can almost imagine my painful expression at that time. Anyway, see you guys in July. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!


End file.
